Training the Mind

Four tips that help you cultivate your meditation practice.

Through meditation, you become familiar with the mind. By discovering your own patterns, you gain agency and you strengthen your free will. Even young children can become more self-aware and at ease through meditation. These four simple principles can help everyone in your family cultivate mindfulness and connection.

Small quantities, regular intervals — A little meditation can go a long way. Meditation works best if you practice regularly, making meditation part of your daily routine. It's better to meditate daily for a few minutes than to do so weekly for an hour.

Every meditation serves you — It doesn't matter how "successful" your meditation felt, whether your mind was racing, or how agitated you were. Even if you stopped sooner than intended, you started and that counts. If today didn't go well, you can start again tomorrow.

Be kind and patient, get frustrated, repeat — When you catch yourself or your children getting frustrated, we can take a deep breath and start over. This is not a contest. This is not even a test. There is no deadline. There are no requirements. Getting frustrated or distracted are not mistakes. They are part of the practice.

Your practice continues after meditating — After your meditation is completed, you will have opportunities throughout the day to return to your state of calm and mindfulness. This can make your more patient, more forgiving, and more present. Of course there will be times when you realize that you're not embodying any of these qualities. That's where your meditation practice kicks in, having trained you to notice and start over each time, newly embracing the present moment.